1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooperative image processing system including an image processing apparatus such as a multi-function peripheral (MFP), i.e., a multifunctional digital machine, and a portable terminal apparatus such as a smartphone or a tablet computer terminal that is capable of accessing the image processing apparatus; a cooperation method for the cooperative image processing system; the portable terminal apparatus; and a recording medium storing a cooperation program.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
In recent years, users can store digital documents on their portable information apparatuses such as smartphones and tablet computer terminals, and even view and edit the stored documents anytime and anywhere they like. After editing a document by the portable terminal apparatus, users can transmit the document to an image processing apparatus such as a MFP to have it printed out by or stored on the image processing apparatus. Users also can create a file consisting of image data, for example, by scanning a physical paper document with a scanner of the image processing apparatus, transmit it to their portable information apparatuses to edit the file thereby.
However, users are bothered by operating different screens from the image processing apparatus and the portable information apparatus, back and forth separately, which is quite troublesome.
To solve this problem, there has only recently been proposed a cooperative system including an image processing apparatus and a portable terminal apparatus, which allows a user to access functions of the image processing apparatus from the portable terminal apparatus, by displaying an operation screen of the image processing apparatus to operate the image processing apparatus, on a display portion of the portable terminal apparatus. In such a cooperative system, a portable terminal apparatus displays operation screens of an image processing apparatus on its display portion on the basis of display data received from the image processing apparatus.
In such a cooperative system, a portable terminal apparatus may display an operation screen of an image processing apparatus, which includes an area for a preview of an image file stored on the image processing apparatus. This configuration serves the convenience of users because they can see in details an image file stored on the image processing apparatus, from the display portion of the portable terminal apparatus which is larger than an operation panel of the image processing apparatus.
This configuration also has a problem as described below, specifically when a user operates on a preview of an image file stored on the image processing apparatus, from the display portion of the portable terminal apparatus.
As mentioned previously, the portable terminal apparatus displays operation screens of the image processing apparatus on its display portion on the basis of display data received from the image processing apparatus. That is, when a user operates on a preview from the portable terminal apparatus, the portable terminal apparatus transmits operation information indicating the user operation to the image processing apparatus; receiving this operation information, the image processing apparatus generates next operation screen and transmits screen data for reproducing the operation screen, to the portable terminal apparatus; on the basis of the display data, the portable terminal apparatus reproduces and displays the next operation screen on its display portion.
Specifically, for example, when a user flips to the next page on a preview of an image file in a file display area of an operation screen, it is necessary for the image processing apparatus to: call out the image file from its storage; generate another operation screen including the next page of the image file; and transmits screen data for reproducing the next operation screen to the portable terminal apparatus. It takes a certain period of time for the image processing apparatus to generate display data for reproducing an operation screen, and thus the user has to be bothered by waiting for a while until he/she can see a preview of the next page on the portable terminal apparatus, which is quite troublesome.
The image processing apparatus transmits display data in a compressed form to the portable terminal apparatus and the portable terminal apparatus decompresses it to display, and thus an operation screen is poorly reproduced on the basis of the display data degraded by compression and decompression; as a result, the user cannot see a high-quality preview of the next page in a small file display area of the next operation screen, which is also troublesome.
It is the image processing apparatus generates that generates display data for reproducing an operation screen at every user operation, and the functions of the image processing apparatus determine operations allowed on the preview from the portable terminal apparatus, and thus, users possibly may not be able to use a common file-handling function that is enabled by an application installed on the portable terminal apparatus, such as “pinching”. That is also troublesome.
Disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-118586 is a portable terminal that is configured to display a preview of a document in a similar size to a physical copy of the same to be printed in accordance with a preferred print option by a preferred printer among a plurality of printers each connected to the portable terminal via a network.
Specifically, when a user selects a document, a printer, and a print setting (paper size, resolution, and the like) by operating the portable terminal, a server calculates a pixel on the basis of the print setting and creates a print image having the calculated pixel from the document. Meanwhile the server also obtains information of a display portion of the portable terminal (horizontal pixel count, vertical pixel count, and resolution). The server further calculates a pixel count for a preview of the print image on the basis of the pixel count of the print image and the resolution of the display portion; generates a preview of the print image having the calculated pixel count; and transmits the preview to the portable terminal.
Actually, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-118586 relates to a technique of allowing a server to generate a preview and transmit it to a portable terminal apparatus but never relates to a technique of allowing users to operate on a preview in a file display area of an operation screen of an image forming apparatus, which is displayed on their portable terminal apparatuses. That is, the patent document does not provide a solution to the problems laid out above, which occur when a user operates on a preview in a file display area of an operation screen of the image forming apparatus, which is displayed on his/her portable terminal apparatus.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.